But Israeli spokesman Zalman Shoval says with Iran's president still threatening to wipe the Jewish state "off the map", Israel is making no promises.

VOA: standard.2009.07.26

A former Israeli ambassador to Washington and member of the ruling Likud party, Zalman Shoval, says the United States and Israel are patching up their differences.

VOA: standard.2009.09.16

Mr. SHOVAL: I don't think that they go into the intricacies of American political opinions.

NPR: Will Democrats Change U.S. Policy on Israel?

Mr. ZALMAN SHOVAL (Former Israeli Ambassador to U.S.): Israelis are worried because we live in a worrisome neighborhood.

NPR: Will Democrats Change U.S. Policy on Israel?

"If you look back at the ups and downs of President Obama's popularity among Israelis, an earlier visit would have been better, " said Zalman Shoval, a former ambassador to the U.S. from Mr. Netanyahu's Likud Party.

WSJ: Obama to Visit Israel, West Bank